Ethan and Joel Coen to write that Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg Cold War thriller

Ethan and Joel Coen are now on board to draft a screenplay for the untitled Cold War thriller that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are developing. The film is based on the real-life negotiations between the KGB and American attorney James Donovan concerning the release of Gary Powers, a U-2 spy plane pilot whom the Russians shot down. Hanks is slated to portray Donovan, and with the Coen brothers penning the script, he’ll probably have some killer monologues. Though Spielberg is only a producer at this point, the Coen brothers’ involvement could be a big push for him to direct the project. Spielberg is working on the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s BFG in early 2015, but with plans to begin shooting with Hanks in Europe this September, he could probably squeeze a tense historical thriller somewhere into his busy schedule.